Friendly as a Hand Grenade
| Friendly as a Hand Grenade | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1989 | |||
| Studios | Unique, NYC, and Matrix and Southern, London | |||
| Genres | Funk, industrial | |||
| Length | 36:12 | |||
| Labels | TVT, World | |||
| Producer | Tackhead | |||
| Tackhead chronology | ||||
| ||||
Friendly as a Hand Grenade is an album by the American band Tackhead. It was released in 1989 through TVT Records.
Production
The band added Bernard Fowler on vocals, and changed its name from Gary Clail's Tackhead Sound System. The album cover art is by Gee Vaucher.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| Chicago Tribune |  |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | |
| Houston Chronicle | |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 7/10 |
The New York Times wrote that Tackhead "draw deep, swampy grooves from funk, rap, house music and dub reggae, then add a paranoid overlay."
Trouser Press wrote: "Opening and closing with the jaunty 'Ska Trek', living up to the title of 'Demolition House' and pursuing the by-now-familiar sardonic comments on the military with the infectious 'Airborne Ranger', the album captures Tackhead at its most coherent." The Spin Alternative Record Guide declared that "at its best, the group melded deeply psychedelic rock and funk in a way that the Red Hot Chili Peppers could only dream of."
Track listing
All tracks are written by Bernard Fowler, Keith LeBlanc, Skip McDonald, Adrian Sherwood and Doug Wimbish, except "Ska Trek" by Prince Buster.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ska Trek" | 0:48 |
| 2. | "Tell Me the Hurt" | 5:16 |
| 3. | "Mind and Movement" | 5:23 |
| 4. | "Stealing" | 6:32 |
| 5. | "Airborne Ranger" | 5:01 |
| 6. | "Body to Burn" | 1:04 |
| 7. | "Demolition House" | 4:08 |
| 8. | "Free South Africa" | 1:56 |
| 9. | "Ticking Time Bomb" | 4:23 |
| 10. | "Ska Trek" | 1:34 |
Personnel
- Tackhead
- Bernard Fowler – keyboards, vocals
- Keith LeBlanc – drums, percussion, drum programming, sampler
- Skip McDonald – engineering, guitar, keyboards, synthesizer, vocals
- Doug Wimbish – bass guitar, guitar, keyboards, vocals
- Additional musicians and production
- Dave Pine – engineering
- Adrian Sherwood – engineering, mixing
- Tackhead – producer
Charts
| Chart (1989) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Indie Chart | 3 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 1989 | World | CD, LP | WR013 |
| United States | 1989 | TVT | CD, LP | TVT 4060 |
| Japan | 1989 | Alfa Records, Inc | CD | ALCA-553 |
References
- ↑ Danton, Eric R. (6 Sep 2004). "Tackhead Back Together". The Hartford Courant. p. D1.
- ↑ "Tackhead Biography & History". AllMusic.
- 1 2 "Tackhead". Trouser Press. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
- ↑ "Gee Vaucher Painting Used for Mirror Trump Blaster". The Quietus.
- ↑ Bush, John. "Friendly as a Hand Grenade". AllMusic. Retrieved December 4, 2012.
- ↑ Popson, Tom (6 Apr 1990). "'Friendly as a Hand Grenade', Tackhead". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. R.
- ↑ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 8. MUZE. p. 23.
- ↑ Racine, Marty (April 22, 1990). "Records". Zest. Houston Chronicle. p. 10.
- ↑ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 690.
- 1 2 Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. 1995. pp. 352–353.
- ↑ Pareles, Jon (8 July 1990). "Rock, Rap and Reggae Rolled into One". The New York Times. p. A28.
- ↑ Lazell, Barry (1997). Indie Hits 1980–1989. Cherry Red Books. Archived from the original on October 6, 2008. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
External links
- Sherwood, Adrian (August 2013). "Classic Album: Tackhead: Friendly as a Hand Grenade". Future Music. No. 268. Interviewed by Roy Spencer. Future plc. pp. 20–22. Retrieved March 11, 2020 – via the Internet Archive.
- Friendly as a Hand Grenade at Discogs (list of releases)
